Is Rolleston going to roll out 1200 jobs expansion?

AN EXPANSION of a Bowen Basin mine that will bring with it about 1200 jobs could be around the corner.

Glencore's Rolleston Open Cut coal mine, which employs 626 workers, is looking to employ more people and is suggesting that the mine is expanding.

However, Glencore hasn't confirmed that it is 'all systems go' on the expansion, despite having all of the major State and Federal government approvals.

This month the mining giant is looking for tertiary educated professionals for the mine.

"We are an open cut coal mine currently undergoing an expansion of our operations," he advertisements for a mining engineer, maintenance planner and electrical engineer read.

A Glencore spokesperson said "Rolleston continues to work on the next phase of mining at the open cut operation after approvals for the mine's life extension were obtained from the Queensland and Federal Governments this year."

According to an Environmental Impact Statement, during construction the project would create an average of 84 full-time jobs over 10 years and once completed about 1200 full-time jobs through direct and indirect effects each year, .

Construction would take nine years and include pipeline, levees, dams, creek diversions and drains.

A hundred more rooms would be added to the accommodation village to house extra workers.

"Due to the lack of availability of suitably qualified skilled people in the local area, the construction workforce would likely be composed of non-resident workers," the EIS reads.

The largest demand for construction workers would be in the first year of construction, when 175 workers would be needed, the EIS said. This would reduce to about 20 by the third year of the project.

Operational workers would be local and non-residents, with a peak of workers in year 10 of 175.

The expansion of the mine, on land Glencore owns, would extend the life of the mine by 10 years, to 2045.

This would be a boost for the town of Rolleston. The EIS claims that once the mine closes the local economy would contract at all levels.

The mine would increase production from 14million tonnes a year to 19mtpa.